Let's explore Tomar together and dive into its rich history! We will start our tour from Lisbon, it will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes to drive to Tomar, on the way you will enjoy the natural scenery.
National Forest of Sete Montes
Gardens, Parks, and Forests, Located in the center of Tomar, next to one of its main avenues, the Mata Nacional dos Sete Montes, measuring around 39 hectares, is the city's main park. This forest connects to the castle and is also known as the Convent Wall, of which it was an integral part, being used by the Order of Christ as a cultivation and gathering area.
In the midst of the leafy vegetation, which includes cypresses, oaks, oaks, and centuries-old olive trees, a miniature temple stands out, a cylindrical tower that, due to its shape, is known as the “Charolinha”.
The Convent of Christ: Convento de Cristo/Mosteiro de Cristo) is a former Catholic convent in Tomar, Portugal. Originally a 12th-century Templar stronghold, when the order was dissolved in the 14th century the Portuguese branch was turned into the Knights of the Order of Christ, which later supported Portugal's maritime discoveries of the 15th century. The convent and castle complex is a historic and cultural monument and was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
The Romanesque round church is a Catholic Church from the castle (charola, rotunda) that was built in the second half of the 12th century by the Knights Templar. From the outside, the church is a 16-side polygonal structure, with strong buttresses, round windows, and a bell tower. Inside, the round church has a central, octagonal structure, connected by arches to a surrounding gallery (ambulatory). The general shape of the church is modeled after similar round structures in Jerusalem: the Mosque of Omar and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Then we will travel to Grutas(Caves) de Santo António - Alvados, it will take around 30 minutes to reach there.
In 1955 two men working at a place called Pedra do Altar went through a large opening as they were trying to catch a bird. The Santo António caves were discovered more than 150 million years after their formation in the Middle Jurassic age when the dinosaurs populated this region. Their footprints can be seen here today.
The entrance is at an altitude of 530m, and the depth inside reaches 40m. The caves occupy a huge area of 6,000 square meters, comprising various rooms adorned with stalagmites and stalactites. In the Room of the Bats, you can observe these charming creatures of the night, who sleep while the sun is shining outside and go out at night in search of food. In the Fátima Room, your guide will show you a stalagmite that looks like the image of Our Lady of Fátima with the Child in her arms.
Appropriate lighting, steps, stepping stones, and the pleasant temperature of 17 degrees Celsius invite you to enter this wonder that Nature took millions of years to form.
Then we will head back toward Lisbon in 1 hour and 30 minutes, Finishing our Tour happily.